Bartolome and Sombrero Chino
Today we got to start our day with an early activity. We climbed 272 steps to make it to the summit of Bartolome Island. Bartolome is one of the most iconic islands, made famous by many traveler’s books, movies and documentaries and also well known in the geology world for being a mecca for scientists and naturalists.
As we were climbing, we were able to see the sunrise and enjoy a spectacular view of Pinnacle Rock and the entire bay of Bartolome, along with part of James Island in front of us. Here in Bartolome we could observe lava lizards and certain types of pioneer plants, since Bartolome is still in the process of being colonized by both plants and animals.
On our way down, we took a short Zodiac ride and were able to see the Galapagos Penguins, a sighting that had been long awaited by all of us! After breakfast was served, we all got ready for swimming from a golden beach and watching the underwater world either by snorkeling or from the glass bottom boat.
In the afternoon we had the opportunity to swim with sharks, a myriad of fish, sea lions and of course the Galapagos Penguins. Sombrero Chino was an ideal place to spot the penguins, not only in the water but also on the rocks as we all went on a Zodiac ride along the coast of this spatter cone.
After returning from Sombrero Chino, we were able to witness an amazing sunset. Today was a day full of activities and full of excitement; we could not have asked for a better day, a perfect closure for a perfect expedition.
